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Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards meet at 8 p.m. tonight at Verizon Center.
Another Fast Start?
The Celtics couldn’t get out of their own way during the first quarters of Games 1, 2, and 3 of their second-round series with the Wizards. Washington outscored them 119-70 during those three opening frames.
The tides have since turned for Boston, which has gotten out to fast starts in each of the last two matchups.
During the last 20-plus first-quarter minutes, the Celtics have outscored Washington 57-33. That included a 16-0 run during the opening period of Wednesday’s Game 5 win in Boston.
It will be critical that the C’s get out to another fast start tonight at Verizon Center. They’ve lost all four games in D.C. during the regular season and postseason by 15 or more points, so they must set the tone tonight from the get-go.
Supporting Cast Stepping Up
One thing has been made clear during this series: Isaiah Thomas cannot beat the Wizards on his own.
The two-time All-Star didn’t get much offensive support during Games 3 and 4, which resulted in blowout losses in D.C.
That changed in Game 5 at TD Garden. Boston’s role players showed up Wednesday night and filled up the scoring column of the box score.
Thomas scored 18 points – a total that was equaled or surpassed by three of his fellow starters – during Boston’s Game 5 win. Avery Bradley tallied a playoff career-high 29 points, Al Horford added 19 points, and Jae Crowder chipped in with 18 points of his own.
The Wizards put so much attention on Thomas Wednesday night that he often had an open man to turn to. The Celtics must continue to exploit Washington’s double and triple teams on IT by getting their other scorers involved.
Horford Topping the Charts
One scorer that Boston can continue to rely on is Horford, who has shot lights out during the postseason.
Horford has made 64.0 percent of his attempts from the field during 11 playoff appearances, while shooting an incredible 56.7 percent from 3-point range. His true shooting percentage of 73.2 percent is the top postseason mark among the 99 players who have averaged at least 20 minutes per game.
Oh, and he’s only getting hotter.
Horford shot 8-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from long range during Game 5, so there is no sign of him cooling off as he heads to Washington for Game 6.
Thomas Doing the Dirty Work
One reason why Horford shot so well last game was because of Thomas’ ability to get him open.
Not just on passes, either. Thomas was able to free up Horford by setting screens.
Yes, the 5-foot-9 point guard was setting picks against the likes of 6-foot-11 center Marcin Gortat, and others, in order to get his teammates open looks at the basket.
“As a basketball player, you've got to read what the defense is giving you, and they're really having two or three guys on me at all times," Thomas said after Wednesday’s 123-101 win. "So what I'm trying to do is give other guys space, create space for others and also be a good screen-setter.”
Typically, other players are setting screens for Thomas so he can get an open look at the basket, but the roles have now reversed. IT is doing the dirty work of setting picks, and it’s paying off for Horford and the rest of the C’s.
Brown’s Defensive Impact
Scoring zero points over 26 minutes is not going to get you a lot of attention, but Jaylen Brown deserves praise after his impact in Game 5.
"Nobody’s going to talk about him, but Jaylen Brown, his energy, defensively what he brought in the first and second quarter, were huge for us," Horford told the media after the game. "I think that he sustained the intensity that we had. I felt like he had a great game."
Brown particularly impacted the game on the defensive end, which he has done all series long. He has tallied a team-best defensive rating of 94.6 during 69 minutes of play against the Wizards. By comparison, Boston’s defensive rating as a whole during the series is 110.1.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Brown has held Washington players to just 28.6 percent shooting this series when defending them directly.
Not bad at all for a rookie.